Monday, 14 October 2013

Hizballah Executing Syrian Prisoners? - Analyzing the Video

Uploaded onto YouTube on October 8, 2013 was a 1 minute and 40 seconds long video claiming to show members of Lebanese Hizballah brutally executing, “wounded Syrians”.

The film was shocking for more than its sadistic contents. Accusations of Lebanese Hizballah carrying out massacres and executions have been part and parcel of the pro-Syrian rebel narrative for some time. Yet, despite claims of that variety and daily doses of ultra-violence pouring endlessly onto the web for the past two years from pro-rebel and anti-Assad sides of the spectrum; little, in terms of videotaped human rights violations by Hizballah or by their allied Syria-based Iraqi Shia militias, could be found online.

Owing in large part to these groups’ Iranian-proxy status and clear religiously-based order, the aforementioned Shia Islamist organizations function in a far more militarily professional manner. Additionally, Lebanese Hizballah and their Iranian-backed Iraqi cohorts, operate advanced messaging and propaganda initiatives. In turn, this has allowed for them to successfully present their narratives and images to a wide audience.

Furthermore, there has been some criticism regarding the veracity and authenticity of the video clip. In part this is due to claims that the audio for the clip could not be verified and may be taken from other sources.
Nevertheless, after close analysis, this clip may be the first substantial video evidence demonstrating Lebanese Hizballah and/or other Shia militia (primarily staffed by Iraqis) groups in Syria of conducting blatant human rights abuses.

This piece will attempt to go through the evidence presented in the video by assessing the main data-points and other factors which have been at play in Shia militia circles and details found in the video:

Uniforms, headbands, and ribbons worn by the fighters.

The Lebanese accent of the shooters and those speaking

The discussion of Iranian revolutionary concepts adopted by Hizballah.

Trends in Hizballah and among fellow Iranian-backed Shia Islamist groups for filming and photographing dead rebels.

Assessing where the video originated.

An increase in the posting of brutal images featuring dead rebels by Shia Islamist groups in Syria.

A Rough Transcript of the Film

With the traffic from short wave radios and the lack of visible speech by particular fighters, the task of writing a highly accurate transcription was made somewhat difficult. Additionally, I did not write what was being said during the radio transmissions. Regardless, this is what could be picked-up:

Fighter to other militants: “Move it! Move it! Move it!” *The fighters run around a van to the vehicle’s trunk.* (0.01-0.05)

*Radio traffic* (0.05-0.14)

A chant from off camera: “fi sabil Allah” (0.11)

*The fighters pull what appear to be wounded men, most likely Syrians, from the back of a van or minibus. There’s heavy radio traffic obscuring what the fighters are saying.* (0.12-0.30)

A fighter says: “Fi sabil Allah” (0.20-0.21)

*Three men are pulled from the back of the van.* (0.20.-0.35)

*One of the men is immediately shot.* (0.35-0.37)

*Another man is pulled from the van.* (0.37-0.54)

A supposed militant says: “Bring him down.” (Meaning a man from the back of the van). (0.44)

A more hushed voice chimes in and says: “Hold on! Wait! Wait!” (0.53-0.54)

*This man is shot multiple times in the head.* (0.57-1.01)

Screaming voice off camera: “O guys!” (1.01)

Another fighter’s voice: “Enough” (1.02)

Said by another person (possibly the cameraman or a fighter to another fighter. Even added to the video’s context it can be viewed as a compliment or as sarcasm): “You’re a tough one.” (1.05-1.06) (some have speculated that the accent used is Syrian, still this section of speech is not definitive enough to be deemed Syrian).

One of the fighters: “That one is mine…The killer of the martyr Yahiya is mine!” (Meaning the fighter had selected a person on the ground to shoot) (1.06-1.10)

Another fighter says: “I am *inaudible* on my own (1.10-1.12)

In the background another fighter says: “Hizballah” (1.10-12)

Another voice (possibly a fighter): “Why are you using this rhetoric?” (1.12-1.13)

*What appears to be wounded a man is pulled from the back of the van.* (1.11-1.16)

Another Militant: “O! For the martyr Yahiya!” (1.16-1.19)

*Inaudible speech in background* (1.16-19)

A clearer voice says: “Come, come.” (1.16-1.19)

*The fighter who pulled down the man kicks him and is stopped by another militant.* (1.16-1.20)

Fighter referred to as ‘Hajj’ (speaking Lebanese dialect): “Wait. Wait. We are performing our taklif and we are not seeking personal vengeance.”*This fighter goes off camera and another comes to the fore and shoots the man on the ground.* (1:23-1:36)

Found on some pro-Assad
and pro-Hizballah
websites was a piece criticizing the movie by Mr. Ahmed M. Yassin. In
an interesting twist, the author blames the Syrian army and/or the
National
Defense Forces (a Syrian state-supported militia-style group
trained by Iran
and Hizballah). He also correctly states that the actions of
those in the video would constitute a war crime.

Yassin starts out by saying the radio
transmissions are taken from a clip involving Hizballah fighters in
Qusayr and their headquarters in May, 2013. These clips were
provided in the article. When compared, it is extremely hard to tell
whether there is any credibility to this criticism. Additionally, if
the radio traffic was faked, that would necessitate the other audio
sections were also added later. Still, the author does not come to
this conclusion. Plus, the audio tends to match with the actions seen
in the film.

Yassin added to this by claiming the
uniforms seen in the video do not match the type worn by Hizballah.
According to the author, this was due to the green and brown colors
not being as “dark” as some previously utilized by Hizballah. An
example from the 2006 Hizballah-Israel War is offered as supporting
evidence for this claim. Additionally, the author also claims that
the pants are not the same as those Hizballah. However, rationally
speaking, it’s not hard, nor is it unheard of fighters (in
professional or paramilitary organizations) altering their uniforms.
(See explanation covering uniforms used by Hizballah and other Shia
militias below).

The piece also stated that “fi
sabil Allah” would not be used by an ideologically educated
Hizballah fighter in the context of “killing” (a term used during
the film) for Allah. Only “fighting” in a justified and
sanctioned war for Allah (see explanation below regarding this
phrase). Though, this minor linguistic distinction appears to be more
about splitting
hairs, rather than establishing the statements made in the video
as spurious.

Where Did the Video Come From?

The clip was first uploaded to a
YouTube
account belonging to a website called NewLebanon.info.
This site appears to present itself as a more independent (as opposed
to being tied to the main Shia parties, Hizballah or Harakat Amal)
Shia-oriented news provider in Lebanon.

After the video was posted,
NewLebanon.info published
a piece defending its authenticity. In it, they argued that even
if the audio was added later, defenders of Hizballah had no
explanation for the material shown in the video. This form of defense
also leaves holes for further criticism, particularly regarding the
images presented in the video. Essentially, NewLebanon.info’s case
rests on the assumption the fighters shown were Hizballah members.
However, with the little information available, sans audio, it would
be impossible to confirm whether the fighters were from Hizballah or
not.

The Ayatollah’s New Clothes

Some viewers of the video have come to
the conclusion that the fighters shown in the clip must be Hizballah
members due to the presence of yellow ribbons tied to their battle
fatigues. While this sounds like an argument based on an odd piece of
minutia, Syrian rebel groups, their supporters, and onlookers
have repeatedly stated that yellow ribbons are a
clear identity marker for Hizballah members in Syria.

Additionally, one of the fighters in the video is wearing a green
headband as he drags wounded and possibly dead bodies from the back
of a van. This may be another sign he may belong to a Shia
organization.

It is true that the variety of Shia
militia groups backing the Assad regime have been photographed and
recorded wearing plain headbands or those featuring religious slogans
(most often, they are colored black, green, red, or yellow).

Additionally, there is quite a lot of
history of yellow ribbon decorations symbolizing Khomeinist causes.
In the early 90s, Iranian protesters would go to Mecca and
protest the U.S. and Israel wearing their yellow ribbons and
bands.

The emphasis on these color
combinations has roots which trace back to Hizballah’s official
party colors, yellow and green, which are featured on the group’s
flag (though, in most occasions, yellow is more normally
associated with Hizballah). Green also finds its place into the color
spectrum of Shia Islamists since it is the color
of Islam and the Ahl al-Bayt (the descendants of the Prophet
Muhammed to whom Shia pay special devotion).

While markers such as these serve as
interesting circumstantial evidence pointing to Lebanese Hizballah
involvement, they are hardly enough to establish that fighters from
Hizballah or Iraqi Shia militia members were in the video. Shia
militia groups operating in Syria and militias directly controlled by
the regime of Bashar al-Assad have donned many different styles of
colored ribbons as identity markers. Members of Liwa’a
al-Imam al-Hasan, a primarily Iraqi Shia militia which operates
in conjunction with Hizballah in Rif Dimashq, has been recorded
wearing red and yellow ribbons. Assad’s own Ba’ath Party militia,
Kata’ib al-Ba’ath and the National
Defense Forces have also been shown wearing
red (in an ironic twist, the video link actually has a Lebanese
Hizballah song playing in the background) and yellow
ribbons.

Ribbons and headbands aside, there is
also the issue of the taped fighters’ uniforms. The pattern,
appears to be modeled off of or an actual U.S. M81
Woodland Pattern Battle Dress Uniform (BDU). This uniform type is
seen quite regularly on Lebanese Hizballah members and with other
Shia militiamen operating in Syria. Additionally, Woodland Pattern
types are widely available across the Middle East. Hizballah’s main
backer, Iran, has even manufactured
its own varieties. This style of uniform is also commonly worn by
Hizballah and other Shia militias fighting in Syria.

Figure : A Kata'ib Sayyid Shuhada member in a Woodland Pattern-style BDU (covered in dust) and with a headband featuring a Shia slogan ("Husayn ya aba al-shuhada"or “Husayn O father of the martyrs”)

Figure : Lebanese Hizballah’s Mahdi Yaghi. His death in Syria was announced on October 1, 2013. Note his woodland pattern-style uniform and the headband.

Figure : A Hizballah figher who was kiilled in September during a fight in Ba'albek, Lebanon. He too wears the woodland pattern-type camouflage.

Khomeinism Rears Its Head

Throughout the clip, “In the path of
Allah” (“fi sabil Allah”, also transliterated as, “fi
sabillah”) is said a number of times, underlining a religious
message from executioners. In the context of the video, the phrase is
used as another religious justification for the killings. While this
phrase is important for Sunni and Shia Muslims alike, particularly
those waging jihad, it has a special place in Hizballah propaganda
and in the party’s background. One of Hizballah’s earliest songs,
“Ya Aba
Abdillah”, repeats the phrase as part of the lyrics. When
Hizballah’s “martyrs” havebeenannounced,
the slogan finds its way into online commemorations. As a long-arm
for Iran’s Islamic Revolution, the group itself is also cast as
following “in
the path of Allah”. Thus, the “Party of Allah”, is
presented as executing his will on earth.

One of the filmed Hizballah members
pauses to state the goals of the executions and possible chide
another fighter who kicked a prisoner. In a very clear Lebanese
accent he states, “We are performing our taklif and we are
not seeking personal vengeance”. The mention of performance of a
taklif is one of the most important sections of the video
demonstrating these fighters likely originated from Hizballah.

In a June USA
Today article which covered Hizballah’s involvement in Syria, a
Hizballah fighter noted, "Everyone who is
sent to fight in Syria has received a 'Taklif Sharii'". USA
Today added the taklif sharii is “a religious command that
means he will go to heaven if killed.” Nevertheless, the taklif
sharii is more than just a religious edict which guarantees a
martyred fighter’s spot in heavenly paradise. It is a religious
obligation put forth by a cleric and must be followed. In fact, it is
a form of religious ruling which underpins the Khomeinist ideology
guiding Iran, Hizballah, and all of the main Iraqi Shia organizations
sending militiamen to Syria.

Augustus
Richard Norton noted that Hizballah’s adherence to taklif
sharii is a theological legal ruling, “as though commanded by
Allah”. According to Mohammed
Sherri, an Al-Manar (Hizballah’s official TV channel)
commentator, “once a taklif is issued, violating it is similar to
any sin, like murder or adultery, or not praying or fasting.” In
traditional Shi’ism, the taklif sharii was rarely issued and
normally did not deal with political issues. The concept was actually
revived as an important Shia idea by the father of Iran’s
Revolution, Grand Ayatollah Khomeini and as an important support for
his form of clerical rule, Wilayat
al-Faqih (in Persian it’s known as Velayat e-Faqih).
In effect, the issuing of a taklif sharii by a high ranking Shia
cleric, in this case Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei—The
“Spiritual leader” of Hizballah and the other Iraqi Shia groups,
is a direct order coming from Allah.

Journalist Nicholas
Blanford notes that new Hizballah members, “absorb the
principles of the Islamic revolution in Iran, obedience to the wali
al-faqih [the head of an Islamic state, according to the system
of wilayat al-faqih, which holds that the preeminent religious
authority should be the supreme ruler]”. The same is true for these
Iraqi Shia fighters who cooperate with Hizballah in Syria.

All of these organizations received a
takif sharii from Iranian and higher-level local clerics to fight in
Syria. Thus, this concept’s appearance in the clip’s dialogue
underlines that the fighters are not simply “Shia volunteers”,
but ideologically trained fighters.

The Propaganda of Brutality

Ideology is not the only factor
pointing to Hizballah’s involvement in the video. Staged
photographs featuring dead rebel fighters is also hardly a new form
of propaganda for Hizballah and allied Shia Islamist organizations.
In fact, a prominent face for Hizballah “martyrdom” in Syria,
Hajj Ali Jamal al-Jashi (A.K.A.
Haidar) was filmed prior to his death (announced in April, 2013)
posing next dead rebel fighters (it’s important to note that the
footage seen after Jashi is shown supposedly comes from a Hizballah
“night time ambush” in
Syria in September).

The message presented is clear, the
rebels are being “punished” (a common term on Shia militia social
media on captions for dead rebels) for daring to oppose the
“Resistance” of Hizballah and its allied regional organizations.
Still, Hizballah and their social media sites do not often post the
more graphic varieties photographs of dead rebels and has rarely
posted photographs of its fighters with the dead. Nevertheless, this
is not the case for other Iraqi Shia organizations fighting in Syria
and the posting of these types of photos onto Shia Islamist social
media has been an increasing trend.

The executions also bear a striking
resemblance to photographs released by other allied Shia militia
organizations. In some respects, it can be argued that Kata’ib
Sayyid al-Shuhada has almost fetishized the posting of gruesome
photographs of dead rebels, at times featuring piles of dead, and of
their own fighters posing with the bodies (see the section marked,
“Gruesome
Uploads: KSS Promotes Their Kills”). Nearly 20 percent (37) of
the 207 photographs posted by Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada’s
official Facebook page are of dead rebels. Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq also
occasionally posts photographs of dead rebels. In April and May,
Liwa’a
Abu Fadl al-Abbas also posted graphic photographs of their dead
enemies. These same pictures have circulated around social media
circles which promote Shia Islamist militias in Syria.

Since piles of dead bodies are often
photographed together in open fields and other areas, it can be
assumed they have been piled there and then photographed. This allows
for Hizballah and their allied organizations to issue a more
effective message. With these photos, they can bluntly demonstrate
they are having success in the field and that they have contempt for
their enemies.

Figure : This photograph purportedly shows a member of Liwa’a Abu Fadl al-Abbas stepping on the head of a captured Syrian rebel. The picture has circulated on pro-Shia militia social media pages since April.

Figure : Another photograph posted in April supposedly showing Liwa'a Abu Fadl al-Abbas members standing over a dead rebel. This is a newer version of the photo with a new logo posted in the upper-right corner.

Figure : Two Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada militiamen pose with the bodies of dead rebels. One of the Shia militiamen has his boot on the face of a dead rebel.

Figure : Another photo supposedly showing a Shia militiaman with his foot on the body of a "Nusra Front terrorist" in Damascus.

Figure : Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq's Liwa'a Kafil Zaynab (AAH-LKZ) posted this and a number of photos featuring killed rebels and using them as examples of AAH-LKZ’s combat effectiveness.

Figure : A photo of dead rebel bodies from a pro-Shia militia Facebook page. The picture is credited to Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada. However, it has been posted by other Shia miitia groups.

Conclusion

Attempting to conclude which
organization the militants in the video came from, based simply on
their uniforms and ribbons, is a futile exercise. This is
particularly the case in Syria where weapons systems, uniforms, and a
wide variety of equipment can and has easily traded hands.

However, when placed in a wider context
with the fighters speaking in Lebanese accents and discussing
important Khomeinist ideological concepts (which are of key
importance to Hizballah) helps establish the possibility that
fighters from Hizballah were involved. Since Hizballah and its allied
organizations have taken to posting brutal imagery, featuring piles
of dead rebel fighters, the clip may have shown what could have been
a prelude to posts of that nature or another example (this time,
involving Shia fighters) of a heightened level of brutality present
in Syria.

Unfortunately, as with many YouTube
clips emanating from Syria, more evidence is needed to make a
definitive calls about the clip in question. Though, based on the
large amount of circumstantial data, it is highly likely these were
Hizballah fighters executing a number of men.

7 comments:

I have no analysis to add on this and haven't watched or read about it yet. Just from this, and thanks, I note a certain realism: adult male fighters are being executed by some, while others are urging them to stop. It seems to stop about there. Please note this is nothing like the previous alleged Hezbollah/Shabiha massacres of genocide against Sunnis where children and women are ruthlessly hacked up. Not remotely like that. No one films those, but opposition cameras are usually the first on the scene afterwards.

One point:"Yassin starts out by saying the radio transmissions are taken from a clip involving Hizballah fighters in Qusayr and their headquarters in May, 2013. These clips were provided in the article. When compared, it is extremely hard to tell whether there is any credibility to this criticism."Doesn't seem like it should be hard, but I haven't listened to anything yet, so ...

This latest excerpt from your long list of attempts to nail the Assad government is no different to all the others. Dodgy video , speculation and a great imagination. Will you be doing a piece on the terrorist suicide bomb that just hit Damascus? No , i didn't think so. I wonder when you will write something about the extreme elements of the Free Syrian Army?Most people that favour Assad still admit that he has committed crimes so why won't you do write up to reflect suspicions of the wider public concerning the terrorist activities of Al Qaida? Or maybe you don't believe they did anything wrong thus far........

One gets the impression that there are one or two determined Russophile Hasbara using a multitude of online IDs, to constantly drone out the "biased" message at full volume, on the slightest pretext or, in this case, without any real pretext at all.

It's actually quite a lot like the tactics the Scientologists used on the BBC reporter John Sweeney:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJkQdLTJWwo

Basically, they shouted in his face continuously without interruption, making it impossible for him to speak as they accused him of attacking their rights and freedoms etc. It's meant to make the blood boil and then they can pretend that you are attacking them.

In this clip, Sweeney is told what was done to him, and that it was a calculated technique designed to make him lose his rag.

FSB Hasbara here, Mossad Hasbara on Richard Silverstein's blog, but the same technique.

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this blog is owned by AL-QAEDA now...u never see any of the monstro those terrorists are doing,not one.hundreds of videos on youtube of jehadists(today's freedom fighters) beheading and mass murdering people which are uploaded and bragged about by them (needs no confirmation) and i never see one here !!yet u see a video uploaded by the other side with no hard evidence on the identity of the criminals....lame tries!!